Charles, you're a big guy, just put your back into it! Nah, I know what you mean with it being a PITA doing it by yourself. My garage is too low to drive in and use a hoist also. Let me (us) know if you find that thread - come summertime mine comes off too! Gotta build a dolly/cart for it to rest on and move to the backyard then too...

Or... host a jeep night! Just saying...

__________________"Are you gonna bark all day, little doggy, or are you gonna bite?" - Mr. Blonde A proud part of the Cutts!

Charles, you're a big guy, just put your back into it! Nah, I know what you mean with it being a PITA doing it by yourself. My garage is too low to drive in and use a hoist also. Let me (us) know if you find that thread - come summertime mine comes off too! Gotta build a dolly/cart for it to rest on and move to the backyard then too...

Or... host a jeep night! Just saying...

Indeed! But today was one of those days I would have loved to just take the top off!!

Here's an easy way to get the Hard Top off by yourself. This is for those of us without garages or carports for hoists and pulleys...

A couple of assumptions:
1. You don't have a bad back.
2. You can lift 100 lbs over your head.
3. Doing this wrong can lead to bad things (dropped top, scratched paint, bad back or knees, etc.)

With that out of the way...

First I built a table the same height as the top of the tailgate using 4x4 legs, 2x12 tabletops, and 2x4 cross braces.

I went 6" longer/wider than the top in any direction. Also the U-shape allows plenty of room to manipulate the top:

I added a caster to the rear of the back leg, about an inch off the ground.
This makes it easy to tilt the table back and roll around.

I painted the top and edges with a Plastic Coating paint. Weather protection and a little protection against rubbing...

Backed up the Jeep to the table:

I got in the back of the Jeep and facing the rear. I get on my knees and find the balance point of the top with my hands spread as far as possible without losing lifting strength.
Practice the lift, this is where the scratches or dropping could happen.
I lift and move the top toward the table a few inches at a time:

Watch the "posts" as you move to the rear. That part of the top is wider than the rear, so scratching and/or losing the balance of the top is possible.

When more of the Hardtop is on the table than on the Jeep, I "climb" into the middle of the U-shaped table and lift to the final resting spot. Climbing in is easy due to the wide areas between cross braces.

When done the top should have 6" on all sides.

This will also make it easy to clean the interior of the top, etc...

Wood logic: 2x4's are not 2"x4", now for some measurements...
The U-Shaped "table top" is 2x12's (1.5"x 11.25") :
(2) sides - 48" long
(1) back - 48.5" long (probably could have done another 48", but that's how it worked out)
back measurement = 71" across the "bottom of the U" (11.25" + 48.5" + 11.25")
(4) legs - 44.5" tall (this dependes on your tailgate height!) 44.5+1.5"top=46"tall
The legs are "centered" on the top. Approx 4" (3.87"exact) from the edges.
The 2x4 braces lengths are dependant on your leg placement. And the angled pieces can be just about any length as long as they are cut to a 45 degree...

I had thought of something similar to a floor jack that would roll beneath the jeep with a tall leg coming off of it that has a pivot point on top that would be able to lock once you've lifted the top high enough to clear.

i'll whip something up in MS paint. This should be epic bad!

err must find image hosting site not blocked here @ work lol

lol see post below, it is bad but it's the general idea. The pivot point will obviously have to be longer and there would have to be a wide base at the end of the lifting arm to balance the hard top but once it's stable and up it should be fine!

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